Thanks Guys!

[Zipsrifle]

Thanks to all the seniors! We've had some great players over the past 2 years and hopefully these guys are the beginning of a dynasty! 2 years ago, I didn't give a hoot about Zips BB, and now I'm considering Season Tickets.

[ziptrumpet87]

get 'em now it's gonna be good again next year!

[Blue & Gold]

The FSU game was a great way for Dials to wind down his career and now the UMass game was terrific for J-Wood. Cedric also played more than solid in both games. They played great. Thank you guys! We love ya!!!

[GP1]

The only two things I will miss about this senior class are as follows:1. Wood...I hope you guys realize how outmatched UofA is going to be in the paint next year without him. Even on a bad wheel, he was a Hell of a player this year.2. Goddard's "dryband". I would call it a sweatband, but since he never played, there was no reason to absorb any sweat. At least we don't have to read anymore "play Nick more" on the board.The rest of the seniors are easily replaceable. If any of you don't think so, you are kidding yourself.

[Quickzips]

Congrats to the seniors on fine careers. It would have been nice to have a true PG and another inside presence this year and maybe make it a little further, but you can't argue with what guys like Dials, Wood and Middleton have given to this team. Even Quade and Goddard have had their role on this team, although I'm not nearly as sad to see them go as Dials, Wood and Ced. Best of luck down the road guys.

[johnnyzip84]

I know he missed the 3 (someone had to shoot) at the end of the game, but today J-Wood played one of the best games I have ever seen a Zip play. This is especially considering that it was against a quality opponent. I hope he hooks on in Eupope or in the NBA developmental league, if he chooses. He has been a blast to watch over his career.

[gozips19]

best batch of seniors in the past decade if not ever at akron......thanks for your efforts guys!

[RowdyZip]

The only two things I will miss about this senior class are as follows:1. Wood...I hope you guys realize how outmatched UofA is going to be in the paint next year without him. Even on a bad wheel, he was a Hell of a player this year.2. Goddard's "dryband". I would call it a sweatband, but since he never played, there was no reason to absorb any sweat. At least we don't have to read anymore "play Nick more" on the board.The rest of the seniors are easily replaceable. If any of you don't think so, you are kidding yourself.

I don't see why you have to be an ass about it. These guys aren't "easily replaceable" and you'll see that next year when we struggle to get 20 wins. JWood, Ced and Dials are one of the best senior classes in a long time for the Zips. These three are a major part of 50 wins in the last two years. Maybe you should stick to commenting on football.

[The Hip Zip]

The only two things I will miss about this senior class are as follows:1. Wood...I hope you guys realize how outmatched UofA is going to be in the paint next year without him. Even on a bad wheel, he was a Hell of a player this year.2. Goddard's "dryband". I would call it a sweatband, but since he never played, there was no reason to absorb any sweat. At least we don't have to read anymore "play Nick more" on the board.The rest of the seniors are easily replaceable. If any of you don't think so, you are kidding yourself.

I prefer to observe the players as human beings, not just as parts of a machine. Rarely in sports do you come across a guy with more determination and courage as Cedrick Middleton. I will greatly miss never seeing Ced play again. If you simply assess our seniors by their numbers, I would agree that Wood will be the guy who can not be replaced. If you look at character and courage, all three of our starting seniors provided the team with nothing but the greatest effort every single game despite playing most of the season at far less than 100%. This legacy has already been passed down to the underclassmen and will provide the stimulus for yet another good year in '08-'09It's my belief that this team vastly exceeded the expectations of most and the contagious character of a guys like Ced, Nick and Wood was the greatest reason why. Congrats Keith and guys for a most memorable season

[meatwad]

This team was one of my favorites in my time of watching Zips basketball. All of the seniors will be missed. Best of luck to all of them in their future endeavors.

[zipfan 81]

The only two things I will miss about this senior class are as follows:1. Wood...I hope you guys realize how outmatched UofA is going to be in the paint next year without him. Even on a bad wheel, he was a Hell of a player this year.2. Goddard's "dryband". I would call it a sweatband, but since he never played, there was no reason to absorb any sweat. At least we don't have to read anymore "play Nick more" on the board.The rest of the seniors are easily replaceable. If any of you don't think so, you are kidding yourself.

Your an ass.... have you ever played a day of basketball in your life? Go over to the other boards and ridicule their seniors or better yet, leave your comments to yourself.

[Zips Win!]

The only two things I will miss about this senior class are as follows:1. Wood...I hope you guys realize how outmatched UofA is going to be in the paint next year without him. Even on a bad wheel, he was a Hell of a player this year.2. Goddard's "dryband". I would call it a sweatband, but since he never played, there was no reason to absorb any sweat. At least we don't have to read anymore "play Nick more" on the board.The rest of the seniors are easily replaceable. If any of you don't think so, you are kidding yourself.

I don't see why you have to be an ass about it. These guys aren't "easily replaceable" and you'll see that next year when we struggle to get 20 wins. JWood, Ced and Dials are one of the best senior classes in a long time for the Zips. These three are a major part of 50 wins in the last two years. Maybe you should stick to commenting on football.

Actually, GP1 is right on the money. J. Wood is irreplaceable. The othes "shit down their leg" in every big time situation, including losing a 12 point lead today.

[w00t]

For crying out loud guys, this really isn't the thread to level criticism at some of the greatest players (and people) our program has ever been privileged to graduate. All four of this year's graduating seniors will be missed. Ced, Jeremiah, Nick, Quade... thanks for the ride guys, you were all a joy to watch.

[Valpo Zip]

Guys! please look at the title of this thread. If you haven't figured it out, this is a farewell thread. Have you ever been to a farewell party, retirement, funeral etc... You only go to those events if you have nice things to say. Otherwise you simply don't show up.Same here, if you feel that you appreciate what the seniors did and you want to thank them, please do so. Otherwise, skip over to the next thread or start a new thread discussing whatever you think of so and so.Here are my 2 cents:J-Wood is the absolute best player i have ever seen in a zips uniform (including Romeo, Dru, Hipsher, and Rashon Brown). Cedrick brought a new level of athletism and speed to the team. great personality, accepting the 6th man role in his junior year shows what a great guy he is. I hope the zips will have a great guy to represent them in the world of national sports media.Quade can be credited for making zips bball much more entertaining with his dunks and block shots. Entertainment is a very important factor in attracting attendance.Dials is a great player, leader, and role model. Choosing Akron over OSU is a decision i hope he does not regret. I am sure that KD can use him as a recruiting tool and maybe keep him on the sidelines.Goddard made some of the games much more entertaining. Every shot he made meant the world to some fans and the rowdies definitely love the peanut butter Goddard time. He can proudly tell his kids in the future that he is one of the elite few who get to play D-1 college bball.Thank you all.

[skip-zip]

Well...I guess anyone can criticize all they want. It's their right. But, all 3 of these guys were MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS to this season, in different ways. As much as I think guys like the McKnights, and Nate are developing, we are going to have to replace 3 MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS. And that is not easy. Dambrot has his work cut out for him. The "everyone except Jeremiah craps down their leg" comment is ridiculous. First of all, Dials and Middleton are the guys who even put us in that position to begin with, and Dials is the only reason we even made it to this game. And secondly, if you want to look closely at the last few minutes, it was Jeremiah's late turnovers that were the most costly.

[Buckzip]

Well...I guess anyone can criticize all they want. It's their right. But, all 3 of these guys were MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS to this season, in different ways. As much as I think guys like the McKnights, and Nate are developing, we are going to have to replace 3 MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS. And that is not easy. Dambrot has his work cut out for him. The "everyone except Jeremiah craps down their leg" comment is ridiculous. First of all, Dials and Middleton are the guys who even put us in that position to begin with, and Dials is the only reason we even made it to this game. And secondly, if you want to look closely at the last few minutes, it was Jeremiah's late turnovers that were the most costly.

Wood will be missed immensely.

[Blue & Gold]

Comparing big men and guards can be a little bit like apples and oranges, but I think that Jeremiah is the best Zips player I've ever seen. I've been following Zips basketball closely since around 1992ish (the final year of the Coleman Crawford era?) so that goes back quite a while and covers a lot of talented players. Congratulations on making your hometown proud, Jeremiah! We're sorely gonna miss you, Bro!

[zip81]

This team has gone further than any other Akron team in the D-I era.I don't know about you, but I didn't expect that out of this year's squad.I think we've been headed in the right direction for a few years now. I'm not sure what kind of talent we're going to have next year, but KD has laid a solid foundation to take Akron basketball to places it has never been before.

[GoZips]

First off, every one is entitled to their own opinions. Second, as some one stated, this a farewellthread. To me, that means express your own views positive or negative.In my opinion, these players, starters and role players were terrific. I love them all. Eachcontributed with their hearts as much as their skills.Were there failures? Of course, so what? The final outcome was that this team gave thebest Akron performance since the 1986 team of a different era. A pack of most delightfulover-achievers. God bless them all in their future endeavors.The future years will take care of themselves. The bar has been raised.I for one, strongly believe that coach Dambrot and young players will go beyond this year'sgreat accomplishments.

[skip-zip]

Blue and Gold...If you only go back to 1992, you might be too young to have seen guys like Joe Jakubick, Eric McLaughlin, Marcel Boyce, and Mark Alberts play for the Zips. But, if you add in Jeremiah and Romeo Travis from the more recent years, we've certainly seen a couple of guys that could make the "all time Zips" list. Buckzip...I know you are trying to make the point that the guards can easily be replaced. But if you read the ABJ today, you'll see that KD was playing the regulars a lot of minutes yesterday because the young guys weren't getting the job done. The truth is, Ced and Nick do far more to put this team in a position to win games than you are giving them credit for.As a final note, considering that we were picked to finish 4th in the MAC East, I would say that this team easily overachieved. And the fact that we saved our season with a few wins while Jeremiah was out was a remarkable achievement. These guys willed themselves to many, many wins this year with true grit and determination. They were fun to watch. I thank all of them for what they gave to the fans.

[RowdyZip]

First off, every one is entitled to their own opinions. Second, as some one stated, this a farewellthread. To me, that means express your own views positive or negative.In my opinion, these players, starters and role players were terrific. I love them all. Eachcontributed with their hearts as much as their skills.Were there failures? Of course, so what? The final outcome was that this team gave thebest Akron performance since the 1986 team of a different era. A pack of most delightfulover-achievers. God bless them all in their future endeavors.The future years will take care of themselves. The bar has been raised.I for one, strongly believe that coach Dambrot and young players will go beyond this year'sgreat accomplishments.

Just for arguments sake...LINKY!Gee, I sure hope we don't get picked 4th next year.... :blink:

[GP1]

The only two things I will miss about this senior class are as follows:1. Wood...I hope you guys realize how outmatched UofA is going to be in the paint next year without him. Even on a bad wheel, he was a Hell of a player this year.2. Goddard's "dryband". I would call it a sweatband, but since he never played, there was no reason to absorb any sweat. At least we don't have to read anymore "play Nick more" on the board.The rest of the seniors are easily replaceable. If any of you don't think so, you are kidding yourself.

I don't see why you have to be an ass about it. These guys aren't "easily replaceable" and you'll see that next year when we struggle to get 20 wins. JWood, Ced and Dials are one of the best senior classes in a long time for the Zips. These three are a major part of 50 wins in the last two years. Maybe you should stick to commenting on football.

UofA will not struggle to get 20 wins next year. As bad as the MAC is after about the top 3-4 teams and as big of a cup cake schedule as we play, 20 wins will be easily achievable. Would everyone be more happy if I said "easily improved upon" in lieu of "easily replaceable"?All of that bad weather in the north must have all of your shorts bunched up.

[GP1]

As much as I think guys like the McKnights, and Nate

Nate is going to be a senior next year. He had better start developing into somthing soon. Nate goes through 3-4 minute periods in each game where he plays good and then disappears for the rest of the game. He must do better next year.Maybe this is a post for another topic, but KD really needs to develop a top notch offensive threat or he is going to become the Mike Fratello of college basketball. Fratello was a good coach who won a lot of games with average athletic talent and a defensive strategy. Never did Fratello win anything though. Good luck getting people to pay to go see defense. The Zips can no longer continue to have games where they score less than 65 points if they want to finally get over the hump and win the MAC. I hope Coach D can finally get around to developing a top notch offensive threat next year. If he can and with the good defense they play, 23-24 wins should be in the cards again next year.Anyhow, to the seniors, you guys earned your scholarships. Good luck in the future and don't forget to give to the Z-Fund.

[GP1]

Here is why I will really miss Wood. Sometimes on this board I refer to "urban" and "suburban" players. Most of you probably look at that as a black/white comment. It really isn't and has nothing to do with race. Urban players are tough because growing up in a tough environment made them hungry. Suburban players, let's face it, are soft from a soft life. They play hard, but when you really need them, they disappear. Wood was as tough as you can get in the MAC. He didn't take crap off of anyone and provided a deterrent in the lane. He was not overly talented and had a bad wheel, but he still competed his butt off and was the toughness the Zips needed. Can you guys imagine what this year would have been like without Wood? ZERO lane presence. We need more players like Wood in this program. He was hungry and played hungry. As I scan the Zips roster, who is the next Wood? Nate L.? No way. McKnights (sp?) from the great farming community of Lancaster. Probably not. Bardo or McNeese...good kids, but probably not.The kind of toughness Wood has doesn't come from extra workouts or watching film. You guys will see next year how important that type of urban player is.

[The Hip Zip]

As much as I think guys like the McKnights, and Nate

Nate is going to be a senior next year. He had better start developing into somthing soon. Nate goes through 3-4 minute periods in each game where he plays good and then disappears for the rest of the game. He must do better next ye

Nate's most valuable contibutions are on the defensive side of the ball, and seldom noticed by casual observers of the game. He does not have lapses on D and has often locked down several great"urban type"(as you put it) offensive scorers. Pound for pound, he is tough as they come.